NITRO MONSTERS
Of course, we’re talking about the Revo 3.3. But before we dive into the hero of this article, let’s take a look back for a minute into Traxxas nitro history. The T-maxx established Traxxas as a leader in RTR monster trucks by creating wild success for the brand in the monster truck segment. The T-maxx has won many accolades and is even billed by Traxxas as the best selling monster truck of all time. Now that’s an impressive feat for the nitro-powered truck.
Traxxas wasn’t done. The company is well known for its innovations and was at it again when they released the Nitro Revo back in 2004. The gas powered monster truck brought even more success for the company in the monster truck genre. The Nitro Revo was packed with revolutionary technology for its time
that allowed it to maintain and grow Traxxas’ domination of nitro powered monster trucks for another 18 years. All this history build up brings us to the latest version the Revo, the Revo 3.3 that we are looking at today.
Whether this is your first Traxxas vehicle or twentieth, the Revo 3.3 greets you with a familiar feeling of excitement in the least intimidating way. Nitro powered vehicles come with different needs than electric ones, but Traxxas has you covered with their handy included tools, Traxxas Top Fuel and their awesome EZ start system.
Unlike with battery powered RC, gas powered RC requires fueling and start up procedures whose ease of implementation can vary depending on manufacturer. Traxxas is by far the easiest that we’ve used and we really like it. We can’t say enough about how easy it is to use their Ezstart electric starting system. The “Ready-to-drive” vehicle comes with a NIMH receiver pack and Ez-start battery, 2-amp DC Peak Detecting Fast Charger, fuel-filler bottle, spare glow plug, precision tools, and more. Everything to get you running without any hassle.
NEWLY UPDATED
As popular as Nitro Revo was, Traxxas made sure that the current Revo is armed with updated upgrades.
Revo 3.3 has received key upgrades, namely in the form of the TRX 3.3 engine. The TRX 3.3 Racing Engine provides a wide powerband that powers the monster truck with massive torque. The engine features a precision composite slide carburetor, Powertune cooling head, dynoproven IPS crankshaft, multi-port rear exhaust, and the starting convenience of the Traxxas Ez-start system that we mentioned earlier.
Not only powerful, the 3.3 is also reliable too. For drivers like myself who plan to keep the Revo 3.3 for years to come, you’d enjoy knowing that the TRX 3.3 engine
is fully protected by a Traxxas Lifetime Engine Replacement Plan. All this nitro-powered horsepower is combined with a robust chassis to create an ultimately bash-worthy monster truck. Keeping the action rolling is an equally strong drivetrain that is built to hold up under the 3.3 engine’s power.
TSM
Revo 3.3 comes with a Traxxas TQI 2.4GHZ radio system and is equipped with Traxxas TSM technology, which makes it much easier to drive and control.
TSM stands for Traxxas Stability Management and what it means to drivers is a vehicle that is much easier to control on slippery surfaces such as loose dirt, smooth concrete, and even ice and snow. Like traction control found in real cars, TSM goes to work sensing the vehicle’s direction and making steering corrections to provide straight-ahead full-throttle acceleration without fishtailing, spinouts, and loss of control. TSM also works during cornering, virtually eliminating spinouts unless you’re doing it on purpose. The system makes intuitive corrections to keep your truck pointed the direction you want it to. What’s more, TSM also helps dramatically improve braking too.
LET’S GET GOING
The Revo 3.3 fired right up as expected and after a quick shakedown; I was able to hand the controller
over to the curious neighbor in order to get some awesome action pics. The truck’s massive tires and long travel suspension soaked up every bump and with the exception of wheelies and endos, kept it easily on all fours. The newbie driver was hyper focused on driving but there was a constant flow of wow’s and whoa’s coming from him and that was so cool to see his excitement of driving the Revo 3.3 for the entire tank of fuel.
After a quick refill, I suggested he get into it a bit more, which translated into some fast passes and launches over a Landwave jump ramp. The Revo 3.3 stayed perfectly balanced and loved stretching itself out, which seems to be its comfort zone. The monster truck honestly feels like it likes being bashed and the more you push it, the more stable it feels.
With any vehicle that does over 45 miles per hour, objects and obstacles on the road do come up much too fast. Thankfully the Revo has phenomenal brakes. We quickly found out that its brakes were easily among some of its best features. Confident braking lets you push yourself as a basher by jumping higher with better control and as you grow into it, you may find yourself tossing in a few stunts and flips that would make any fellow nitro enthusiast proud, all while knowing it will consistently behave like you want it to every time. Especially with the case of nitro powered RCS, predictability is the key to fun driving and Traxxas has managed to get the powerful Revo 3.3 to be very drivable.
FINAL WORD
As with all Traxxas models, there is an abundance of technology upgrades and performance parts to keep your vehicle operating at its peak without the headache of downtime.
My final thoughts for the Revo 3.3 TSM? I’d have to say that there’ a reason why the Revo has been in the Traxxas lineup for almost two decades. It’s a fun monster truck that keeps delivering. If you are looking to get into nitro for the first time or back into it, we’re ultra-confident that the Nitro Revo 3.3 would not disappoint.